


what makes a good leader

by potsticker1234



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Domestic, F/F, Fire Nation Royal Family, Happy Azula (Avatar), Post-Canon, Slice of Life, Young Izumi, azula and ty lee give izumi oogies, good aunt azula, tyzula - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:53:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27917785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/potsticker1234/pseuds/potsticker1234
Summary: Upset that she is not a firebender, Izumi finds comfort in her aunt Azula.(Azula has a soft spot for her niece and wants her to stay young forever.)
Relationships: Azula & Izumi (Avatar), Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 114





	what makes a good leader

The precious gem of the Fire Nation had turned eight a few weeks ago. The palace was absolutely decked out in festivities for such an occasion. Zuko spared no expense in showering his little princess in love and affection.

Though the gifts were grand and the company grander, there was only one thing Izumi wanted on her birthday. There she sat with perfect posture holding a piece of parchment in her hands. She breathed in through her nose and channeled all of her energy into her fingers, yet not even one smoulder managed to appear on the page.

She wanted to scream and crumple up the stupid piece of paper but she was determined to keep her composure, she wouldn’t be caught dead acting like a seven year old! Instead she settled for sighing over dramatically when Auntie Ty Lee walked in for their weekly girls day.

Izumi abandoned the paper on the table and ran up to hug Ty Lee. She loved spending time with the woman even though they weren’t related by blood, the love she showed her was more than genuine.

Such days usually consisted of bird and cloud watching in the gardens, then lunch with Aunt Zula when she managed to sneak away for her two favorite girls, and concluded with Ty Lee teaching her some wild gymnast trick which would surely have her father on edge; apparently being the Princess wasn’t a good excuse for doing cartwheels on the war room table.

The royal garden was a mutual favorite of both Izumi and Ty Lee. They loved the soft grass, the perfectly trimmed hedges, and of course, the turtle ducks. But when Izumi was shrugging off all of Ty Lee’s cloud shape suggestions, she knew something wasn’t quite right. The Crown Princess had landed somewhere between the two opposite ends of the emotional spectrum that was her parents. She was usually an animated little girl but knew when to refrain from total emotional outbursts; but she wasn’t as skilled as her mother at hiding her true feelings.

“Izumi you know that I love you right?” Ty Lee pinched her cheek causing the little girl to giggle.

“Of course, Auntie Ty Ty, you can’t go ten minutes without saying it.”

“Well, smarty pants, then you should know that you can always talk to me and Aunt Zula about anything.”

Izumi sat up and shook her head causing Ty Lee to rise from the soft grass as well, “I don’t think she’d get it.”

She truly loved her aunt Azula with all her heart and enjoyed the days when Azula would allow her to sit beside her as she poured over Fire Nation official documents; but she feared Azula would not know how to help her with this problem.

She picked at the grass beneath her as she admitted her fears to Ty Lee, “I want to be a firebender like daddy and Aunt Zula! But I…” her voice trailed off and Ty Lee squeezed her hand.

“Hey don’t say that! Everyone grows at their own pace. I think Azula told me a story about how your dad was a really late bloomer and they wondered if he could firebend, too,” she tried to sound cheery for the little girl but she had heard the hushed tones between Zuko and the Fire Sages. 

Most children show their bending around the age of seven and are able to feel an affinity for their element even younger. To not know if one could bend this late, well, it was a pretty good sign that it wasn’t meant to be.. 

Ty Lee tried to keep the spirits high, “And what’s wrong with nonbenders? I remember kicking tons of ass with your mother.”

Izumi gave her a mock slap for using such crude language. The joke only seemed to partially lighten the mood as Izumi recoiled again which sparked an idea in Ty Lee’s mind.

“You don’t have to be a firebender to train like one! We could ask Aunt Zula if she’d teach you some cool things,” Ty Lee knew that they’d barely have to ask, their niece had her wrapped around her finger.

Approaching the woman from behind, Izumi tried to jump tackle her. The girl simply bounced off Azula, “What did I tell you about sneaking up on me, little one?”

Izumi corrected herself, “Stay low to the ground to keep quiet.”

Azula quirked an eyebrow, “And?”

“Strike without hesitation.”

“Very good, you’re already better at sneaking around than Ty Lee.”

Ty Lee snickered, “Oh we can’t all be as silent as an armadillo mouse.”

Izumi picked at her lunch letting her two aunts carry the conversation. When their incessant gushing over each other became too much for her to handle, she asked Azula if she could train with her. 

Azula wondered why her niece had suddenly taken an interest in her training regiment, she was very fond of the royal instructors, when Ty Lee shot a glance at her. Azula understood immediately.

She inched the plate of food closer to Izumi, “You should finish your meal and make sure to get plenty of rest before tomorrow, okay?”

Izumi took a big bite and nodded, she was happy that it had been easy to convince Azula and hoped that she would be able to give her the answers she sought. 

Reluctant to let his daughter train with his sister, insisting that there were much more fun things to do with Azula like practice court etiquette and proper posture, Zuko tucked Izumi into bed. She was eight but she was also old enough to know the truth, Zuko warned her that Azula has no tolerance for laziness and if Izumi really wanted to train with her, she’d have to get a good night’s rest.

Her head hit the pillow and she pondered life and what she had done to deserve this cruel fate. A Firelord who couldn’t firebend? It was unheard of and she didn’t want to reduce herself down to the same level as the Earth Kingdom monarchs whose hands were far too soft to bend regardless of if they could or not.

No, someday the throne would be hers and Izumi was determined to be a good leader. But it was so hard to stay optimistic when she couldn’t even get her bedside candle to obey her.

Sunlight crept in from the east and Izumi heard a knock at the door before her aunt opened it to reveal herself already dressed in training robes. She rubbed the tiredness from her eyes and sprang out of bed, if Aunt Zula wanted to start before the rooster fox crows, then she would be ready too.

Once Izumi was wearing her own set of training clothes, she met Azula on the training grounds where the woman had started her morning stretches. Izumi stuck her leg out in the air and tried to copy her aunt’s movements frame for frame. 

When Azula felt that every joint in her body was properly limber, she practiced hot squats with her niece. Izumi felt the ache in her thighs and calves but pushed on. She knew she was not strong enough to keep up with Azula’s pace but that didn’t stop her from trying her hardest.

They engaged in many more exercises, a combination of aerobic and anaerobic, Aunt Zula said that the key to a good workout was discipline and getting the blood pumping. 

“Can we do Princess Pushups?” Izumi looked up at her expectantly.

Agreeing that it was time to give her niece a rest, Azula lowered herself onto the ground with her legs straight and arms bent perpendicular. Izumi clamoured onto her back and sat cross legged.

“I’m not sure how much longer we can keep doing this, you’re getting quite big,” Azula said with her nose nearly touching the ground.

“One day I will be strong enough to hold you while we do this!” Izumi chirped, drawing a laugh from her aunt which caused her to shoot up a little too fast. Izumi giggled at the bumpy ride and began counting down from fifteen.

At around the seven or eight mark, Azula took the opportunity to ask her what was really bothering her, “Auntie Ty Ty says you’re scared you might not be a firebender.” 

_Up._

“Yeah, I feel like a family disappointment.”

_Down._

“Trust me, little one, you could never be a disappointment. And who cares if you can’t firebend? It’s not nearly as special as being the Royal Princess.”

_Up._

“I know, I know, but what kind of Firelord can’t firebend?” Izumi’s little voice was beginning to raise in frustration.

_Down._

“Bending doesn’t make a good leader, it’s the heart,” Azula said matter-of-factly.

_Up._

Izumi felt a little lighter now, if Aunt Zula said it was okay, then it must be okay, right?

Azula continued the pushups with the small Princess on her back, the girl had stopped counting and Azula wondered if she had fallen asleep up there. She continued the exercise in silence and thought about what else she might say to cheer the girl up.

Izumi slid off her back and regarded her aunt. They had the same amber eyes, the same piercing black hair, and they even were wearing matching training outfits. But she feared she’d never be able to share the gift of fire with her. And that was the thing that was bogging her down the most. She didn’t care if the rest of the world thought it funny for a Firelord to be a nonbender, she didn’t care if she wouldn’t be able to master the highest level bending forms; she only cared that she would never be exactly like her Aunt Zula and it brought her to tears.

She felt strong arms wrap around as she cried into Azula’s shoulder. Overwhelmed with discouragement, she admitted that she didn’t want the throne, she only wanted to be just like Azula.

This news plucked at Azula’s heartstrings and she held her closer grateful that in Izumi’s innocence, she did not know the extent of darkness that that request could grant her. Never in a million years had she wanted her niece to be just like her. She loved her with every fiber in her body, but she earnestly wished for Izumi to be better than her, to grow and flourish in ways Azula never could; to one day hold herself upright as a young woman who had not seen the tragedies of war. 

This is what Azula wanted for her, for a safe life that was a farcry of her own childhood.

And when it felt like Izumi had shed every last tear from her eyes, Azula pulled away and swiped a tear off her cheek, “Listen to me, Izumi, you are a far better person than I was at twice your age.”

The sadness left Izumi when she thought about the possibility that her Aunt Zula was once not a good, kind soul.

“Your heart is as big as the sun and I know that you will be a fair and just Firelord. Firebender or not, you are the best thing to come from this royal line in a very long time.”

Azula’s eyes were welling up with pride, “Remember, little one, it’s the warmth inside the heart that makes the leader, not the fire itself.”

She kissed Izumi’s forehead and hoped that every last word of hers made an impression in her mind. 

Izumi embraced her in a platypus bear hug and thanked her while Azula prayed she’d never grow up.

Content with their workout, Azula scooped up her niece and let her crawl onto her shoulders. Azula was nowhere near as tall as her brother, but Izumi enjoyed towering over people nonetheless. Together they climbed the steps of the palace and found Ty Lee chatting with Mai. 

The girl hopped off Azula’s shoulders to be with her mother. Mai then whisked her away stating that she couldn’t tell them apart because they looked like twins; secretly this was her way of thanking Azula for tiring her out before her school studies.

Ty Lee’s hand reached out for Azula’s, “She seems a lot happier than she was yesterday. I guess you’re her favorite.” Ty Lee let out an exaggerated sigh.

“Well naturally, I’m everyone’s favorite.”

Laughing together, they strolled down the grand corridors of the royal palace past the war room where siege plans had once been developed, past the pillars where Azula used to eavesdrop on cynical family members; and past the gallery of previous Firelords where Izumi’s portrait would one day reside. Zuko’s own portrait marked a change in the lineup and brought a revival with him that would only continue to grow under his daughter’s reign. 

It relieved Azula to no end that she could finally be proud of the Fire Nation for all the right reasons, for it was now a nation where a Princess could grow up free from the burdens and blood that stained their history. 

**Author's Note:**

> Izumi's bending status is left up in the air in LoK so I thought why not make her a nonbender?? As usual, everything I write is just for funsies :))


End file.
